March 2026 - History Corner

#198 in an ongoing series about the history of the Hillside Club

Once Upon a Hillside: 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 years ago

March 1901

The Hillside Club was founded on 5 October 1898. No newspaper articles about the young Hillside Club could be found for this month.

March 1926

Business Meeting, March 1

Mr. G. W. Groff, who for eighteen years has been in China as a teacher, investigator, and explorer, most of the time in Kwantung [often called Canton, now known as Guangdong] Province, will discuss present conditions in China and the extent to which the recent disturbances affect the general mass of people. [Sun Yat-Sen, founder of the Republic of China, died in March 1925. In 1926, his successor, Chiang Kai-shek, led the “Northern Expedition” in an attempt to defeat regional warlords and unify the country. … George Weidman Groff (1884-1954), was a botanist and agricultural educator who worked in China between 1907 and 1941. He developed citrus plantings in China, along with papaya, lychee, banana, and other subtropical fruits.]

March 1951

Fireside Meeting, March 5

Two one-act plays will be read by members of the Dramatic Activities Section, with Mrs. W. T. Burrows directing. Traditional Fireside refreshments will follow.

International Relations Section, March 12

“Alternatives in American Foreign Policy Today” is the timely topic to be discussed by Dr. Armin Rappaport, Professor of American History at the University of California. Dr. Rappaport is a specialist in American diplomatic history and the author of “English Opinion of American Neutrality, 1914-1917.” [Armin Rappaport (1916-1983) was considered one of the major figures in the study of American diplomatic history. He taught at Berkeley from 1949 until 1967, when he moved to UC San Diego, teaching until his retirement in 1982.]

Garden Festival, March 19

Spring comes to the Hillside Club in mid-March, with “In a Monastery Garden” the theme. This will be presented in a garden setting on the stage to be prepared by John W. Gregg. Other seasons will also be presented. Several groups of plant families will be displayed on the main floor as well as table decorations for special occasions around the calendar. In addition, corsage-making will be demonstrated throughout the evening.

March 1976

Fireside Meeting, March 1

Informal—Members and Guests

Would you like to learn more about “Your Magnificent, Enduring Brain”? Hear Dr. Marian Cleeves Diamond, Professor of Anatomy at UC Berkeley share with us some facts and thoughts she has about the brain’s development and aging. Dr. Diamond specializes on the brain and the structure of memory. Does man really lose 100,000 nerve cells each day after his 30^th birthday? Has Dr. Diamond’s research pointed to any way we can keep our mental acuity in top form as we grow older? Come and find out—bring your own questions. [Marian Diamond (1926-2017) was a prominent American neuroscientist. In the 1960s, she and her team were the first to publish evidence that the brain can change with experience and improve with enrichment, which she called neuroplasticity. She spent virtually her entire academic career at Berkeley, working well into her eighties.]

Performing Arts, March 15

Formal—Members and Guests

The evening of Performing Arts is an experiment in combining the talents of Hillside members. Opening with a dramatic reading set to music (appropriate to the pre-Easter season), moving through the arts of dance, musical theater and two-piano music, and closing with a cameo concert of past Hillside musicals—the program has beauty and variety. Twenty-two members of the cast have been rehearsing since mid-January!

March 2001

The Club’s archive of printed monthly newsletters ended with the May 1994 issue. If you know of a source for any newsletters between 1994 and the Club’s renaissance in the early 2000s, your historian would love to hear about it!